Assassination attempt on Zelensky foiled in Poland
An attempt to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was foiled at the Rzeszow airport in southeastern Poland, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) chief said on Monday, without disclosing when the incident occurred.
Speaking to journalists, Vasyl Malyuk said that Ukrainian security services had prevented two assassination attempts: one in Kyiv last year and another at the Rzeszow airport.
"The task was to physically eliminate President Zelensky at the Rzeszow airport. Several methods were considered. One involved an FPV drone, another a sniper," he said.
According to Malyuk, the attack was to be carried out by a retired Polish soldier who had been recruited decades earlier, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak confirmed that preparations for an attempt on Zelensky's life were thwarted in April 2024, when Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) detained a Polish citizen who had attempted to establish contact with Russian intelligence services.
"We are closely cooperating with Ukrainian services to ensure the security of President Volodymyr Zelensky," Siemoniak said on the X platform. He added that on May 19, 2025, prosecutors filed charges in the case.
Jacek Dobrzynski, the Polish interior ministry spokesman, recalled that ABW officers detained the suspect, identified as Pawel K., on April 17, 2024, in the Lublin region of eastern Poland. The man had declared his willingness to cooperate with Russia's GRU and was tasked with gathering information about the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport.
Later on Monday, Polish President Andrzej Duda affirmed that "no assassination attempt occurred," adding that this demonstrates the effectiveness of the protection provided to foreign officials by Polish authorities. (PAP)
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